Canon® 7D Mark II Fast Start

Lesson 19 of 20

Canon® 7D Mark II Camera Operations

Canon® 7D Mark II Fast Start

Lesson 19 of 20

Canon® 7D Mark II Camera Operations

Lesson Info

Canon® 7D Mark II Camera Operations

So the final section in this class is the operation of the camera. Now that you know how all the individual components work, what do you want to kind of think about as we step back and look at the big picture of operating this camera? So when I take this camera out on a shoot there's a few things that I want to check off to make sure that I have got I want a charged battery in the camera, probably a spare. I want to make sure that my memory car is been downloaded and I can put it in the camera, reformat it and got a fresh full card. In fact, I don't like heading out without two cards. I keep a cf an sd card in there at the same time, set to overflow. I want to make sure that my settings, our normal I haven't been out shooting star trails or something like that the night before, something kind of strange, so I might do a quick check through any of the common settings that I would change in the camera. And then if I'm going to head off on a big trip, I'm gonna want to make sure that I ha...

ve a clean sensor because it's much easier to clean the sensor at home than it is when you're on the road. So make sure that sensor is clean because as I say, that could be a bit of an issue to deal with out in the field. So of all these different functions, what are the ones that we really go in and change on a regular basis? Well, it's the ten that you see listed up here so most of them were going to be dealing with exposure or focusing so our first scenario that we're going to set up for and I will remind you that this is in the a company in hand out so all of this information is in a printed version or a pdf version that you can download with the class to follow along later or out in the field. So super simple this is just the simplest operation of the camera I can think of other than putting it into the auto seen auto auto mode. Normally I would say put it in the programme mode, which means you don't need to worry about setting shutter speeds and apertures you should be aware of where they're set and if they're appropriate or not but the camera's going to take care of it for you I'm not a big fan of auto, so but if you want to make things really simple it's a good place to put it you want to keep an eye on the exposure compensation it's normally going to be at zero adjust as necessary metarie thie evaluative system is by far the best in the lightest variety of situations, so it's definitely the safest the camera is a very good job auto white balance I would only switch it off if you notice that there's a particular color shift or color change uh wrong color that you seem to be getting most of the time it for basic photography you're going to be in the one shot mode for subjects that are not moving around and the sixty five point auto zone is going to be very quick and fast to focus. It always focuses on whatever is closest to you, which generally works out but doesn't work out in more difficult situations and the drive mode will probably be fine when it's left on the single mode where you get one shot every time you press down on the shutter release so this is a super simple way of operating the camera let's do something in particular landscape photography this is where we have more subjects in focus we have maybe a tripod that we're using so that we're able to use greater depth of field with smaller apertures subjects are not moving around so we don't need to worry too much about shutter speed and we have a little bit of time to get the shots so this is where manual exposure is probably going to be used and here the first thing that I would probably set is an s o of one hundred because that's where your camera we'll get the best image quality the next sitting that you'll probably want is to set the aperture to make sure that you have enough depth the field for the shot that you're shooting and this will vary from shot to shot it's not always sixteen this is just an example and the same thing goes with shutter speed it's probably going to end up being a slower shutter speed uh it depends on the lighting and a variety of factors but it's often the slower shutter speed when you're at s a one hundred and f sixteen we don't use exposure compensation because we're in the manual mode that's not available and it's not something we're manually adjusting the exposure with our shutter speeds and apertures I think evaluative is a fine metering we're gonna leave white balance in auto your subjects are not moving so one shot focusing is appropriate for this subject and this is where I prefer one point auto focus so that you could be very specific about where to focus now where do you focus? Well that depends on the exact subject that you're shooting in a very general sense for right now it's something between the nearest point you want and focus and the farthest point in focus and so it's somewhere between those two the drive mode has a couple of options if you're using the cable release you could be using the single mode if you want to use the two second self timer or the remote that's a good option and is a bonus for making sure that you get sharp photos to remember pictures at an eighth of a second on a tripod are prone to vibrations from the mere movement and so this is where mere lockup it would be quite handy to have in there so that is the landscape photography lets do portrait photography in this case we're not on a tripod we're shooting subjects that move around a little bit and we're gonna need faster shutter speeds in this case I also still like to use manual exposure I'd like to get these things figured out and have him remain constant for all of my shots in this case I'm probably going to choose a fairly wide open aperture so I can blur the background I'm going to want to shutter speed that stops my movement and my subjects movements and I will of course prefer the lowest so that I can use in that lighting situation I'm going to stick with evaluative metering I'm going to stick with auto white balance and for focusing as long as my subjects are not moving towards me or away from me, I'm gonna leave the camera in the one shot focusing and I do want to be very careful about where I focus because I want my subjects face in particular and want their eyes and focus and this is where I will probably use the one point auto focusing system with the drive you could use the continuous system, but oftentimes I'm fine with the single system just getting shots with individual gestures and small movements I can usually do it pretty rapidly just with a single shot, so that is portrait photography. All right? This is the game where most of the people are playing with this camera, the action photography so sports, dance, wildlife, anything that's moving towards you away for you or just moving around a lot. We're concerned about shutter speeds and movement with focusing I prefer to be in manual focusing as long as my subjects are in fairly consistent lighting. If not, I might be an aperture value with manual. I'm gonna probably want to set a shutter speed that's pretty fast, probably five hundred or faster, depending on the exact subject. This is where having a lens that goes down to two point eight really pays off very, very much worth the money when it comes to shooting sports photography as much as I would like to be at s o one hundred or two hundred, I'm probably going to be a s o four hundred or higher depending on the lighting conditions metering will be at evaluative white balance will be at auto and the big change on this one focusing goes toe ay ay servo this is usually the first thing that I change in the camera is getting my camera to make sure that it's going to track and follow the subject's movements back and forth the focus area is really going to depend on what you're shooting the five point the nine point zone are all very good it depends on the size of your subject, your lands and your point of view the zone is a pretty good place to start with I do like the nine point as well. Those are two of my favorite modes when it comes to action photography and of course when you got a ten frames per second camera, you're probably going to want to use it at ten frames per second in order for you to capture those micro moments that are hard to see with your own eyes. All right for the last one of these let's get our cameras set up for basic photography this is just good old general photography where you don't know what the next photo is going to be coming around that corner so in this case I do like a little bit of automation and that would be aperture value I'll pick an aperture and I'll pick an aperture to eight four, five six something in that range I'll keep an eye on the shutter speeds and if those are not appropriate shutter speeds, I will adjust the esso but to start with, I'll leave the so it is a one hundred as I get into lower light situations, I'll just bump that s o up as necessary I'll keep an eye on the exposure compensation use it when and where necessary I'm fine with the value it of me tearing and I'm fine with auto white balance for focusing it depends on what I'm shooting most of the time I'm going to leave it in one shot every once in a while I might be in a servo mode if there's a lot of action and I think that I'm going to be using action more than single shot and with the focus area, I'm actually going to leave it in just one point so I can be very exact about my focusing I could see using the five or the nine point system depending on the situation as well, so there's a lot of variance in here, this is just a starting point, this isn't how I leave were used the camera every time myself and the dr modi would normally, leave in single second best option might be the low speed continuous. The high speed just reels off too many shots to quickly, so definitely single with a second best bet as thie, low speed, continuous. So, at this point, I can say, congratulations, you are now a cannon seventy mark, too, expert. So, congratulations. Get out there, enjoy your camera. It could do so much, get out there and see what it can do.

Class Description

The Canon® 7D Mark II is a complex and powerful camera – learn everything you need to know to get the most out it in this Fast Start with John Greengo.

Through engaging visuals and easy-to-understand lessons, John will provide you with a complete introduction to your camera’s features and functions. You’ll learn how to:

Navigate and customize the menus

Use the 65-point autofocus system

Take advantage of the video capabilities

Make use of your customization options.

If you are considering investing in the Canon® 7D Mark II or want to get the most out of the one you already own, The Fast Start Canon® 7D Mark II tutorial will empower you with all the information you need.

Kanoelani Patenaude

I am a pro photographer in my dreams, where I know the in's and out's of my camera; however, reality proved differently, as real life would tell you, I was a deer caught in headlights just looking at my new 7D Mark II. I am a photographer enthusiast without the skills, but a lot of love for the moments one, or the profession/hobby of it can capture. I mostly shoot my husband, friends, and community surfers in the lineup, and of course, my children, who rarely sit still. Thus, I switched from Nikon to Canon, venturing on the 7D Mark II for the grand reviews of how stellar of camera it is for action shots (surfing, and kids, this was a no brainer). That said, and overwhelmed with the way beyond my skill set, but noted desire and aspiration to grow, I made the purchase, and sought help rather quickly as I wanted to feel confident with what I was utilizing to capture the best memories possible. I came into this CL course knowing the "on/off" button, and "auto" shoot mode. I came out of the course feeling like the pro in my dreams, and ready to shoot manual. John's teaching style is on point, and his detailed visuals are a huge plus. So impressed, I purchased, John's photography starter kit, and was even more blown away. My first shots post that course, I thought were great for my first educated shoot, and shockingly, I even received and email from one of the sponsors of the surfers I captured, asking if they could use my image for their sites and publications. Not bad for a newbie. Though, my intent was never a business purpose, I did not know if I should charge a small fee, or give it for free. I don't mind free as it's not my business, yet I don't want to ruin it for any photographers in town doing the same thing that are charging. Perhaps another course to help me with that. I highly recommend courses by John Greengo! Thank you so much, John!

user-cfdd6e

I bought my 7D Mkii the week it was introduced as an upgrade to my old 20D. I immediately noticed what a huge step up it was and to be honest was a little overwhelmed by all of the options and customisations available. In the year I've owned it I've managed to pick up a lot but I still felt there was a lot in there that I wasn't making the best use of. John's course has filled in the missing pieces and I now feel a lot more confident that I will be able to get the best out of this amazing camera.

jrlink

John's coverage of the Canon 7D Mod II was excellent. It helped immensely in understanding the myriad of choices available in this camera. I would recommend this course to any user of the 7D Mod II.
camera. The only comment I would make is that it might be helpful if John didn't assume that we all are sports photographers. Some hints for other types of photographers would be a great addition to an already excellent course.